Riot to remove divisional promotion series, high ELO duo queue

League of Legends’ competitive landscape is undergoing its most significant transformation in years with sweeping changes to ranked queues arriving in the 2021 preseason. The overhaul targets three core areas: promotion mechanics, matchmaking algorithms, and high-elo restrictions that collectively reshape the player progression experience.

Huge info here for all of our ranked and matchmaking plans this preseason:
-Division promo removal
-Rank Informed Matchmaking
-Rank Seeding
-Duo removal in Master+
-Chromas for victorious above goldhttps://t.co/GsdjWwDug2

— Mark Yetter (@MarkYetter)September 17, 2020

In Riot Games’ latest development update, competitive gameplay lead Cody “Codebear” Germain outlined these foundational changes designed to address long-standing community concerns. The modifications aim to create a more transparent, fair, and rewarding competitive environment while maintaining the integrity of high-level play.

The ranked experience receives substantial quality-of-life improvements through enhanced matchmaking that considers multiple skill indicators beyond traditional MMR calculations.

Riot will remove inter-division promotion series in ranked

The most universally impactful modification eliminates inter-division promotion series entirely across all ranked tiers. Players advancing between divisions within the same tier—such as moving from Gold IV to Gold III—will experience immediate promotion upon reaching 100 LP without additional game requirements.

This structural simplification means progression becomes more linear and predictable. For example, climbing from Silver II to Silver I now follows the same straightforward LP accumulation process rather than requiring successful completion of a best-of series.

Accompanying this change, Riot removes inter-division demotion protection for accounts sitting at zero LP. Additionally, any excess LP accumulated during promotion automatically transfers to the subsequent division, preventing wasted progression effort.

Critical distinction: Promotion between different tiers (Silver to Gold, Gold to Platinum) still requires winning promotion series, maintaining the significance of major rank milestones.

Introducing ranked informed matchmaking to the preseason

Rank informed matchmaking represents Riot’s next evolutionary step in creating balanced competitive environments. This sophisticated approach incorporates visible rank indicators—division standing and current LP—alongside traditional MMR calculations to construct more equitable team compositions.

While matchmaking fundamentally relies on MMR for skill assessment, the new system introduces additional constraints preventing players from being matched with opponents more than one full tier apart.

The ranked seeding component specifically targets placement accuracy for new ranked participants. Most significantly, this system identifies and groups smurf accounts together, creating fairer initial placement experiences for genuine newcomers.

Advanced matchmaking now evaluates multiple data dimensions simultaneously: hidden MMR, current division, LP progress within division, and historical performance patterns.

Duo queue in Master tier and above will be removed

For elite competitors, the elimination of duo queue above Master tier stands as the most consequential adjustment. Riot’s design philosophy prioritizes individual skill demonstration at the highest competitive levels, eliminating concerns about players being carried by coordinated partners.

High-ranked match balancing presented persistent challenges due to limited player pools at these tiers. The scarcity of available duos frequently resulted in either extended queue durations or unbalanced matches where only one team featured a duo partnership.

Concurrently, Riot modifies tier unlocking mechanics for Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger ranks. This adjustment prevents high-elo players from receiving inflated placements at season commencement.

Progression into elite tiers now follows these specific LP thresholds:

• Unlocked immediately; Master
• 200 LP for Grand Master
• 500 LP for Challenger

These systemic alterations demand strategic recalibration from dedicated ranked participants. The removal of inter-division promotions significantly accelerates climb velocity for consistent performers, while the duo queue restriction demands enhanced individual proficiency at master ranks.

Common adaptation errors include overestimating rank progression speed and neglecting the increased importance of individual performance metrics in high elo.

Optimization approach: Focus on maintaining above-50% win rates becomes more crucial than ever, as the streamlined progression system rewards consistency over sporadic winning streaks.

Advanced players should prioritize mastering 2-3 champions in their primary role while developing proficiency in a secondary position. This Class Guide approach translates well to League’s ranked environment, emphasizing role specialization.

The Complete Guide to these changes reveals that players who adapt quickly to the new systems typically gain significant rank advantages during the preseason transition period.

For weapon and champion mastery, similar principles apply across competitive games. The Weapons Unlock methodology of focused specialization applies directly to mastering League’s champion roster for ranked success.

All modifications debut in the 2021 preseason, though Riot reserves the right to adjust specific implementations based on performance data before Season 11 commencement.

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